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False Gold–hidden treasure?
False Gold
by Veronica Heley
Bea Abbot runs a domestic agency in London, matching up employees with the right employer. Formerly widowed, she is currently married to Piers, a very successful portrait painter. I have read several books in the series and have always found that I could drop right in and find myself drawn into an engaging murder investigation.
Bea is invited to visit her friends Julian and Polly at Marston Hall for a weekend of relaxation. Although they are Sir Julian and Lady Polly, they have no “airs” and are new to their elevated positions. They are trying to make a go at keeping the Hall and associated village afloat. The family is living in temporary quarters while the stable is being remodeled into living quarters, and the grand hall itself is open to the public several days a week to bring in income. Julian, a former accountant, takes it upon himself to manage the village in such a way that there are jobs and housing for the locals. As newcomers, they are having to prove themselves, which they are doing quite well in spite of opposition from those in the town (as opposed to the village) and their own general estate manager.
When an intruder to the property is found in the mud with his face bludgeoned, Bea and the family turn their best efforts on the investigation. Julian is sure the victim is not one of his security men despite the very clean ID lanyard around his neck, but the authorities and his general manager insist that he is indeed Pete. But if the dead man is not Pete, then where is Pete and where is Pete’s faithful collie, Beauty? Meanwhile, in the middle of this chaos, Pete’s wife Tyra gives birth to their long-hoped-for baby.
The story proceeds with lots of twists and turns as the reader meets a lot of local villagers and learns about the semi-local political and monied residents of the area. Bea makes herself useful in practical ways using her contacts and organizational skills as well as her kindness in dealing with Polly who is expecting her second child and with Pip their adorable first child who wins the hearts of the villagers as he accompanies his father on his village visits. Also important to the story is Julian’s well-trained Alsatian who is important for security, tracking, and as the family retainer.
I truly enjoyed this mystery and look forward to more from Veronica Heley who has written 80 books including an earlier successful mystery series (Ellie Quicke Mysteries), historical novels, romances, and children’s books. She is currently 93 years old.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery, Fiction
Notes: 1. #18 in the Bea Abbot Agency Mystery Series but can be read as a stand alone.
2. Clean
Publication: May 6, 2025—Severn House
Memorable Lines:
There was a sighing sound and a police car drove in behind her and parked. It was an electric car. Disconcerting when it sneaked up on you like that.
Bea thought, The Lord be with you. And the Lord go before you. And be with that poor man lying there in the mud, under the wrong name. She sank into a chair and tried to make sense of what was happening.
Marcus’s mouth tightened into a shark’s smile. “ I have sprung this on you too quickly. Naturally you must consider all the options and take advice from those who understand your problems. All I ask is that you don’t dismiss my offer out of hand.”
Lessons in Love at the Cornish County Hospital–many faces of love
Lessons in Love at the Cornish County Hospital
By Jo Bartlett
This series is the fictional account of several of the workers at St. Piran’s Hospital. It focuses specifically on two couples: Gary, a staff nurse, and Wendy, the head of housekeeping; and Danni who works in emergency medicine and her boyfriend Charlie, a children’s book author. Working on the fourth book in this series, Jo Barlett presents a lot of background about the various characters. Sometimes I felt like I had been dropped into the middle of a soap opera; and at other times, I admired Barlett’s handling of characters and situations that are serious.
Wendy had been married to Mike, unquestionably a philandering, narcissistic jerk who was the father of her two young adult girls. Now he is in a relationship with the much younger Chloe. Wendy struggles with doing the right things for her daughters as they form bonds with Chloe who is pregnant. Danni is also pregnant and is carefully cared for medically as an older mom with a first child. Both Gary and Charlie are caring and loving mates, but the women take the stage in this novel.
With relationship and medical issues, there is both trauma and drama for Chloe. Eating disorders affect several characters. Wendy struggles with jealousy over Chloe even though Wendy no longer loves or is attracted to Mike. It hurts that her daughters see Chloe as the fun “mom.” Meanwhile Chloe suffers from a deep seated and unfulfilled desire to be loved.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Fiction, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Notes: 1. #4 in the Cornish County Hospital series, but could be read as a standalone.
2. Only 6 instances of swear words and no open bedroom doors.
Publication: October 3, 2024—Boldwood Books
Memorable Lines:
…borrowing tomorrow’s trouble was a sure-fire way to suck all the joy out of life.
If death could come from a thousand small cuts, so could the death of a relationship and it felt like that day was getting closer and closer.
Everything they’d been through had taught her that love really could be found in the most unexpected of places. There was no such thing as loving too many people, or being loved by too many people in return.
Christy–Appalachian teacher
Christy
by Catherine Marshall
Christy, who lived a protected childhood in Asheville, NC., was nineteen years old when she answered God’s call through the head of a missionary society to move to Cutter Gap, Tennessee, in the Great Smoky Mountains in 1912. Her job was to teach 67 mountain children who had not had steady opportunities for “book learning.” In fact, the one room school house held only a few much used texts for the students. Christy had to take on the additional duty of procuring books and other needed supplies as donations for her students.
In entering Cutter Gap by foot on a cold, snowy day that had finally thawed out enough for the postman to get through, Christy was crossing into another world with its own customs and unique phrases passed down from Scottish heritage. She was startled by the poverty, unsanitary living conditions, and firm adherence to superstitions. Christy was a witness to feuding and its deadly consequences, but she also discovered in the people kindness, grace, and a heart-felt joy in music.
Christy is the story of author Catherine Marshall’s mother as a teenage teacher. As historical fiction, it is more factual than imaginative. Marshall weaves the many tales she heard from her mother into a story that pulls the reader into a culture struggling for survival in the Appalachian mountains. The descriptions in the book paint a picture of the beauty and the harshness of nature in the mountains.
The characters in the book are well developed. One of my favorites is Miss Alice, a Quaker lady admired by all. She travels among three communities on horseback doing everything from administrative work to nursing the sick. She has deep spiritual insights born of experience. The author also reveals traumatic events in Miss Alice’s past that help her understand the tragedies the mountain folk have to cope with on a daily basis. If there ever was a nonjudgmental character, it would be Miss Alice.
This classic deserves a read or reread; a visit to Cutter Gap is one you will enjoy!
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction, Christian, Classic
Publication: 1967—McGraw-Hill
Memorable Lines:
Surely one of the chief differences between the veteran teacher and the recruit must be that the experienced can never find enough time, whereas the ingénue struggles to fill the hours, looks forward to dismissal time as a reprieve.
“…if we will let God, He can use even our disappointments, even our annoyances to bring us a blessing. There’s a practical way to start the process too: by thanking Him for whatever happens, no matter how disagreeable it seems.”
I realized something else…there was more to this gracious offer than met the eye. Fairlight Spencer was not just volunteering to do some washing and ironing for me; she was also holding out to me the gift of her friendship. Among the mountain people, this was the most cherished gift of all. It was a breakthrough of those walls of reserve that had so far seemed impenetrable.
“And as for religion being vague—well, it isn’t. It’s been the delight of my life to find God far more commonsense and practical than any human I know. The only time I ever find my dealing with God less than clear-cut is when I’m not being honest with Him. The fuzziness is always on my side not His.”
Becoming Elisabeth Elliot–missionary seeking to obey
Becoming Elisabeth Elliot
by Ellen Vaughn
[No spoilers in this review.]
There are some biographies so full of facts that they are boring. There, I’ve said it! Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, thankfully, is not that kind of biography. Many readers may be familiar with the basic story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, missionaries to Ecuador to try to reach the Waodanis. This tribe had only experienced violent conflict with the outside world. Jim and Elisabeth (a.k.a. Betty) were determined to decipher the Waodani language so they could translate portions of the Bible to the native language as well as make friends with the people and introduce them to Jesus.
The basic story of their experiences are recorded in Elisabeth Elliot’s book Through Gates of Splendor. That same information appears in this authorized biography Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, but this book focuses on the first third of Elisabeth’s life and her preparation for whatever God called her to do. The author was given access to Elisabeth’s many private journals and interviewed people who were a part of her life in various ways. We are able to delve into Elisabeth’s thoughts as she poured out her soul in her journal disclosing her primary goal, to be obedient to God. We learn of her pain and suffering before, during, and after a major crushing event in her life. Her early years and education are discussed from the viewpoint of how they impacted her relationships with God, family, and friends. Then we learn how she matures in her faith, never seeking weak Christian platitudes but struggling to understand God and His plan. She has a lot of difficult seasons of waiting as she seeks God’s will and learns first hand that the question of why something happens may never be answered on Earth. The important question is not “why,” but “what”—what does God want me to do? What is the next step?
Well researched and well written, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot is a masterful biography and a page turner. It can be read as a historical document showcasing a woman who achieved fame as a missionary, prolific author, speaker, translator, professor, and radio broadcaster. It can also be read and studied by those who want to learn from Elliot’s experiences and spiritual insights to further their own personal journeys in drawing closer to God and obeying Him in following in the footsteps of Jesus.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Biography, Nonfiction, Christian
Notes: 1. Each chapter begins with a quote by various authors. They are always apropos to the chapter and worthy of pondering.
2. The book includes a Foreword by Joni Eareckson Tada, an Epilogue, and Footnotes.
3. The author has written the second in a series of three planned books to provide a complete telling of Elisabeth’s life. Being Elisabeth Elliot, which covers Elisabeth’s later years, will be published on September 12, 2023.
Publication: 2020—B&H Publishing Group
Memorable Lines:
And Eugenia had nearly vomited when Betty gave her some vegetable soup; she had absolutely recoiled at the taste of fudge. Well, Betty thought, it was just another vivid reminder that one could not assume that everyone thought and felt just like North Americans.
To opine about what God is up to in terms of results, can stray into the realm of hubris, or faithlessness. If we must see that there are worthy results in order to come to peace about what God has done or allowed, then we have no faith.
And suffering is one of God’s sanctifying tools. God is not a cosmic plumber who shows up to make things run smoothly for us. When He doesn’t fix broken situations in our lives, it’s usually because He is fixing us through them.
education pathways 